


The Exit

by Kiwi_trash99



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Kevin and Jean are concerned parents, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Slow Burn, The realm of light, allison is all up for kissing people in just saying, and actual burns, cats are fun, everyone can cook or something like that, i can't write but i try it's like ratitoulli or however you spell it in this house you know the line, i randomly spelled meow instead of wow I'm ashamed, jean deserves love and I swear on my life that I will give him it, meow everyone there must be good, neil/Nathaniel literally isn't gonna meet Andrew and the monsters for so long that it truly hurts, razias shadow (kinda), right? Nah fam they all secretly bad itches, the realm of shadows (how ominous and clearly evil is that??), there shall be swearing, there will be cats, these tags are useless and stupid just like me, yes those happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 08:27:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11824881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiwi_trash99/pseuds/Kiwi_trash99
Summary: (Based off of the song "the exit" from Razoa's shadow) Nathaniel has lived in the Realm of Shadows his whole life, suffered abuses at the hands of those who were supposed to be his family, and continues to hope for a way to escape. When he finds his chance of freedom in the Realm of Light, will he take it, or will he be left to rot in the darkness?





	The Exit

**Author's Note:**

> Yo, so this is based off of a song called "The Exit" from Razia's Shadow. So just imagine Razia's shadow, but the only plot comes from that song. This is my first time really trying to write something, so if you have any criticism, throw it at me! I want to improve! Also: shoutout to a user called Shewhoisnotnamed44 they're cool and they have good fics and made me want to write my own. I don't have an update schedule but I'll try to get at least one chapter out weekly!

Nathaniel Wesninski sat in the palace gardens, trying to catch a glimpse of the fleeting sun from over the garden’s high walls. When he couldn’t see anything, he turned his attention to the wilting flowers that surrounded him. The gardens truly were a lost cause, seeing as the sun never reached any of the plants in them. At this point, they were only kept around because of Prince Kevin Day’s desperate insistence that they should be. 

Nathaniel personally thought the gardens were far more trouble than they were worth, but could sympathize with Kevin’s pleas to keep them around. They were his only connection to his mother at this point, and if Nathaniel would've be given the chance to hold onto a part of his mother, he would have too. 

Reaching down, he plucked a small flower out of the ground, scattering the dead leaves that had, only moments ago, hidden it. It wasn't much, but it wasn’t dead either, which was more than most plants there could attest to. The flower was a deep indigo, flecks of gold sprinkled across the thin petals. 

Nathaniel was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard the crackle of leaves behind him. He quickly stuffed the flower into his coat pocket and slowly turned around to face his visitor, joints stiffing up in fear. Fortunately for him, it was only Prince Jean Moreau, and when he saw the smile the other flashed him, he instantly relaxed. “Hello, Jean.” he greeted, skipping the fancy title he was typically forced to grit out through clenched teeth, in favor of flashing the other teen a weak smile. “Kevin wishes to see you, mon cher.” 

Nathaniel scowled, “If he really wants to see me, he knows where he can find me.” Jean rolled his eyes in amusement before making his way to a stone bench only a few feet away. Nathaniel waited a few moments before joining him. They both sat like that for a few minutes, relishing in the freedom of the quiet, the only noise being the ever comforting chorus of crickets singing. “So-“ he started, wanting to break the silence between them, “-where’s Riko?” Jean flinched at the name.

“He hasn't the time for us, he’s packing for his trip to the Realm of Light.”

“Good, I could stand to have a few days without him.” Nathaniel shivered. When he noticed the tense set of his companion’s shoulders he asked “What’s wrong?” Jean sighed, running a hand through his hair before turning to look at Nathaniel.

“He wants to take me with him. Something about me being less annoying than Kevin and you…” Nathaniel stared at him, stunned into silence before jumping to his feet.

“He can’t do that!” He protested with shaking fists.

“You know that’s not true. He can do whatever he wants.” Jean said as he looked down at his scarred arms as though they were proof of his lack of control in life.

“Not today.” the other growled as he stalked away to the palace’s doors. Jean rushed up to him, grabbing his arms as he tried to restrain Nathaniel. 

“Think, ma bichette, the only thing that comes from arguing the king is pain. And I refuse to help you if you get hurt like that again.” Nathaniel shook his arm free.

“He’s no king of mine!” he spat, “He’s a prince, same as you and I. And if he can’t handle that truth, well…Blegh!” he threw his hands in the air and kept marching on. Just before he reached the handle to the large wooden doors, he spared one last glance at the other. Jean had perfected the art of having a pokerface at the young age of eight, so Nathaniel wasn't shocked that it was there in place of Jean’s true emotions. And anyway, he didn't need a facial expression to tell what the teen was thinking, seeing as Jean’s trembling arms all but gave himself away. Nathaniel let out a scoff before turning back to the doors, giving one of the ornate handles a tug before pulling them wide open. He didn't bother to listen as they slammed against the frame behind him when they closed. 

The servants shied away from him like the plague, hiding behind corners and empty rooms as they waited for him to pass. They didn't inherently fear Nathaniel himself, just the havoc Riko might wreak upon them if they so much as gave the teen a glance. Either way, Nathaniel didn't really mind their hiding, especially if it kept those innocent people from the claws of Riko. They didn't deserve that, he knew that much at least. 

After walking through few halls, he finally made it to Riko’s room. It’d be suicide to interrupt the teen, but Nathaniel didn't care, seeing as Jean going all alone with Riko was just as much of a death sentence anyway. Letting out the breath he had been holding in, he gripped the doorknob and twisted it open. At first, Riko didn't seem to notice him, too busy watching a servant pack his clothes into trunks. Nathaniel took a step forward, Riko’s head shot up to look at him. Shit, Nathaniel thought with a panicked grimace. “Sally, leave!” Riko snapped, and the servant, presumably Sally, dropped what she was holding rushed out of his room in a flash, closing the door behind her. “Nathaniel, what a surprise. Come to grace me with your presence before I leave? How thoughtful…” he hummed, his tone of voice seemed light, but Nathaniel knew better. Hidden under that nonchalance was a ticking time bomb of anger and violence, ready to explode at any moment. 

“I’m here on Jean’s behalf, to tell you, that he’s not going with you on your trip anymore.” Nathaniel clenched his teeth, trying to hold strong in the face of a snake like Riko. The other teen raised an eyebrow at that but didn't make a move to do anything yet. 

“Oh, really? And why isn't he here to tell me that himself?” he asked. Nathaniel didn’t say anything, so Riko pressed forwards. “Did he decide that himself or did you take it upon yourself to make the decision for you?” When the other still refused to say a word, Riko stood up, stretching out just a bit before making his way over to Nathaniel, now he had him cornered. Riko pushed him back against the wall, sadistic smile on his face as he held a knife to the teen’s throat. “If I ask you a question, answer me. Are we clear?” he growled as the tip of his knife started to break through Nathaniel’s skin. 

“Crystal.” Nathaniel threw back with a glare.

“You better hope you are. So, I will ask you again, did he decide that himself or did you take it upon yourself to make the decision for you?” Nathaniel looked down at the ground.

“I did.” he mumbled.

“You did what? Unfortunately, I cant here you, speak louder.” Riko teased with his knife.

“I did.” he said, almost to the point of yelling it. The other teen didn't look satisfied with that.

“And how did you expect to get me to let Jean stay?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave, as though annoyed by the arrogance Nathaniel seemed to radiate.

“I-I’ll give you anything, I’ll do anything!” Nathaniel finally gasped out just as Riko’s knife slashed across the skin of his neck, just deep enough to draw blood. 

“You already gave my everything when your father dumped you here.” Rico hissed. “But, I guess if you’re so eager, I’ll take you up on that offer. Turn around” Nathaniel immediately obliged, knowing it was easier to just follow orders since he hadn't a choice in the matter anyway. 

Before he knew it, he was on the floor, shirt and coat ripped as Riko effortlessly cut and slashed away at his back. Every few seconds, Nathaniel would have to remind himself to keep quiet or he’d make his situation infinitely worse, but that didn't stop himself from saying “You’re never gonna break me. You know that, right?”

Riko laughed, “As much as I hate to admit it, I find your wishful thinking quite amusing. But don't worry, if I can break Kevin, I can break you too.” he whispered, tracing the outline of the letter three on Nathaniel’s right cheek. A few more minutes passed, or maybe they were hours, Nathaniel couldn't really tell either way as he slipped in and out of consciousness. When he finally came to, he was still in Riko’s room, only this time, Riko and his trunks were gone. He sat up and pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain that shot through him as he swayed on his feet. Gripping the walls, he finally made it to the door, only to discover that it was locked. Now, nathaniel certainly had a way with locks, but even he knew it was a fruitless effort when it came to Riko’s. If he didn't find a way out, he’d be trapped for who knows how long. Riko had long since soundproofed his walls after one too many interruptions from his daily “cut the fuck outta Nathaniel or Jean” sessions. And Nathaniel knew for a fact that neither Kevin nor Jean would ever actually visit Riko’s room by choice, especially if the sixteen year old was away. Panic bubbled in his chest, and for a minute, Nathaniel swore he lost the ability to breathe. Red was quickly flooding his field of vision, but he refused to let it take hold of him.

Sighing, he forced himself to calm down, swallowing his fear in favor of assessing his situation. Riko had no need for windows, seeing as there wasn't enough sun in the Realm of Shadows to constitute the yearn to get them. That left Nathaniel with only two options: stay in the room and wait until someone found him or Riko came back, OR, try and find Riko’s vents. Seeing as he didn't want to continue to bleed out as he starved to death for lord knows how long, Nathaniel went with the second option. 

It wasn't hard to find the vents, seeing as Nathaniel knew that Riko’s room mirrored Kevin’s, even though his was vastly superior in size. Once he found a vent big enough to crawl through, he worked on getting it open, using a blood covered knife as his own twisted version of a regular screwdriver. When he finally forced it open, he took on blast look at the room, gathering his ripped shirt and coat before making the venture into the vents. It took Nathaniel longer than he would've liked to find his way back to his room, but when he did he was shocked to see a drunk Kevin passed out on his bed, bottle of vodka and all in his hands. In fact, he was so shocked, he didn't even realize how high up he was when pushing the vent covering open, all caution thrown to the wind. Nathaniel realized his mistake a little too late as he fell from the ceiling and onto Kevin. 

As soon as his bloody body made contact with Kevin, the teen’s eyes flew open, gasping for breath as he struggled to push Nathaniel off of his chest. When he finally realized who had fallen on him, he stiffened, green eyes on the verge of tears. “Nathaniel! We’ve been looking for you all night!” he cried out, and in a rare display of affection, he wrapped his arms around the boy, hugging him tightly before drawing back in disgust. “What’s all over your back?” he looked at his hands, now stained red with the other prince’s blood as he tried to stifle a scream.

It was at this point, that Jean threw open the door and raced over to Nathaniel’s side. His eyes full of pain as he looked over the teen’s back. “W-who, who did this?” Kevin’d voice shook as he joined Jean in his staring at Nathaniel’s back. 

“Who…Are you stupid? Are you really that dumb and clueless, Kevin?” Jean glared daggers at the prince. Kevin cast Nathaniel one last weary glance before turning to speak to Jean in some language Nathaniel didn't recognize. They kept at it for a while, forgetting about the other boy in their presence as they argued back and forth, his name coming up every so often as they duked it out with their words. They were always doing that, arguing over him. He didn't mind too much, knowing that their secrecy came from the best of intentions.

See, Nathaniel was the youngest of the princes by two years, making Jean and Kevin feel more than a little responsible for his well being. Riko was cruel and heartless, but Jean and Kevin were not. Sure, Kevin may have pushed him past his limit every so often, but he did genuinely care about his safety the it came down to it. Nathaniel didn't understand why the two cared, maybe guilt, or maybe a hope that they could save him after failing to save themselves. He honestly didn't care their reasons why, content enough to know that if anything were to happen, at least two people in his life would remember him. 

Nathaniel was driven back to reality when gently hands touched his back, he was alone now with Jean. “Where is Kevin?” now that he thought about it, his voice sounded hoarse, probably from all the screaming he did because of Riko. Jean gave him a smile, the same one from earlier that day in the gardens; soft and sweet.

“I sent him away to get supplies. Riko really did a number on your back.” he hummed, running his hands through the other prince’s hair. Nathaniel gave a weak nod, and they stayed like that for a few minutes. Jean humming while Nathaniel listened, occasionally joining in when he thought he could recognize part of the chorus. By the time Kevin came back, Nathaniel had significantly calmed down, his trembling hands now still and steady. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and kept still as Kevin and Jen began to patch up his back. When they had finally finished, he opened his eyes again, allowing Jean to help him to his feet. 

Sleep pulled at his eyes, and the other two held no hesitation at all in helping him hobble over to his bed. Jean’s eyes twinkled with a combination of mirth and amusement as he tucked Nathaniel in as though he were a child. Kevin even managed to put on a smile as he turned the lights of. And even then, with Nathaniel safe in his bed, neither he nor Jean left him alone. Both opting to spend their night in the two beat up chairs he had in his room instead. 

Just as he began to lose consciousness, he peered out from over his blankets at the two. Kevin was lost in some sort of history book, desperately trying to read it in the dark but clearly failing. And Jean was sprawled out in the chair to his right, somehow already asleep. Nathaniel couldn't resist himself, he smiled. Sometimes they acted like concerned parents, other times rowdy brothers, and even more times than not, arrogant princes; but no matter the role they played in his life, Nathaniel could never deny the warm feeling of home they brought to his heart in his world full of ice. And with that last thought, he allowed his mind to drift off into sleep, knowing when he woke, he’d be safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, whatcha people think? I hope the characters weren't too OOC, I was trying to write them, but I've found that their personalities change when you put them in different situations but I hope you like them anyways. Please leave criticism below (preferably constructive) since I'm writing this fanfic to get better at writing in general and based off of what you just read, I'm sure you're already aware that I have loads of room to improve! Thanks for reading my notes :)


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